A Heart's Duel
by Grasshopper
Summary: When Willow's parents finally realize the dangers of Sunnydale, Willow gets a whole new life... [BtVS & YuGiOh! WillowYugiYami, HondaBakura]


[Title] - A Heart's Duel  
[Author] - Grasshopper (A.K.A. The Undertaker's Muse)  
[Email] - uber_bitch13@yahoo.com  
[Rated] - PG-13  
[Warnings] - Female/male/male and male/male relationships (shounen-ai).  
[Category] - Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Yu-Gi-Oh!  
[Spoilers] - None for BtVS. A little bit of everything for YGO.  
[Pairings] - Willow/Yugi/Yami, Honda/Bakura  
[Summary] - When Willow's parents finally realize the dangers of Sunnydale, Willow gets a whole new life…  
[Author's Notes] - This is set before the first episode of BtVS, so it's AU. There's no set timeline, which is good because they probably wouldn't line up too well. Try not to look to deeply into the YGO side of things, you'll probably find inconsistencies as this is my first YGO fic.  
[Disclaimer] - No one and nothing, other than the fic, is mine. 

  


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You know how a lot of people complain that their significant other is like two different people? How one minute they can be this amazingly loving person, and the next be something out of a nightmare? Let me just say, I understand that sentiment way better than most people ever do. You see, when I make a comment like that, I really mean it.

Literally.

Let me explain. Yugi and Yami are two separate entities, but they're in one body. Kind of like split personalities…only without all of the psychological problems. Then again, Yami… But like I was saying - two identities, one body. Simple enough for you?

First off, there is Yugi. My sweet and loyal Yugi, whose open heart astounds me. He rather reminds me of Xander when he was young, in that respect. Yugi is dedicated to three things - family, friends, and Duel Monsters. Alright, that's rather simplified, but it's true, nonetheless.

Then, there's Yami. The darkness to counter Yugi's light soul. Yami is every inch the Pharaoh he once was… Everything about him is so intense, from his dueling to his loving. All the things that must be done, but Yugi cannot bring himself to do, are left up to Yami. Like I said, he's dark where Yugi is light…but they're still so similar. If I didn't know better, I'd swear they were brothers. Instead, Yami is a spirit contained within Yugi's Millennium Puzzle. That's a complicated story, though, so you'll forgive me if I don't elaborate on it.

The first time I met Yugi was in school. My parents, home for the first time in months, were actually paying attention to the world around them. Well, more precisely, to the statistics of Sunnydale that were published in some journal or another that my father was reading. He was horrified…to find out that a book one of his rivals had written was getting rave reviews. Plus, he and my mother weren't too happy that the town's death rate was so high. They rattled on about psychological trauma and numerous other things that, truthfully, I wasn't listening to. The next thing I know, though, is that my things are being packed and I'm on my way to a school in Tokyo. I did get the chance to tell Xander and Jesse goodbye, but just barely. I had to play the "distraught teenager leaving behind everything she's ever known" card… Which wasn't very far from the truth, actually.

I was wary, my first day of school. Luckily, my parents made me see a tutor for most of my life and I could speak Japanese fluently. Plus Spanish, French, German, and several Mandarin dialects. Had to "be prepared for this ever-changing world," you know. But it was cool - I got to appreciate the anime Xander and Jesse so loved in ways that they couldn't; all because Xander preferred the original versions, with English subtitles.

And I'm babbling. Sorry about that, it's a habit I just can't seem to break. The only time I don't is when I duel. Great, now I'm getting ahead of myself. Anyway…

The first person I met was Anzu, my guide to this strange new world I was in. Smart and polite, she reminded me of myself…only with more friends. Anzu took it upon herself to befriend me. She was showing me around while explaining the basics of Duel Monsters to me when _it_ happened.

We met up with her friends.

She introduced me to Jounouchi, who seemed nearly identical to Xander in personality. If his obsession had been anime, rather than Duel Monsters, I'd have wondered if it _was_ actually Xander in disguise.

Next, there was Honda, who fell into Jesse's category by default. The only real difference was that, unlike the Cordelia-obsessed Jesse, Honda had a hankering for another friend of theirs named Bakura.

At first, Bakura seemed uber polite, if a bit distant. As time passed, and I came to know him better, I realized that he was so much like myself, it was a bit frightening.

Then…there was Yugi. The first time my eyes met his, I was lost. I didn't understand what that meant right then. All I knew was that something important had happened…and he felt it, too, if I was reading the look in his beautiful violet eyes correctly.

After that, adjusting to my new life became a while lot simpler. I spent my time in an environment that actually challenged me academically, which was a definite first for me. I also spent it getting to know my new friends. They taught me to duel, which was rather surprising. No matter what Xand and Jesse had tried, games like that had been impossible for me to learn. Maybe it was the fact that I had some of the greatest players ever teaching me… Or maybe it was because Yugi taught me.

As time passed, and I became firmly entrenched within my new world that consisted of school, friends, and Duel Monsters; the others' secrets slowly began to leak out.

First, was the Honda/Bakura situation. But really, that was more about Bakura realizing Honda liked him. The rest of us had been waiting for it to happen for quite some time.

Second, was about Yami Bakura. Damn, but I wanted to bitch-slap him for his treatment of Bakura… But I held back, mainly because I didn't want to get in the others' way while they dealt with him. I couldn't take the chance of screwing things up with my _lack_ of knowledge.

Third…was Yami Yugi. Yami appeared in the fight for Bakura. It was a strange addition to an already strange world, but I decided to go with the flow. I marveled at his likeness to Yugi…but so many things were different. The first thing I noticed was the height. Yugi is a small guy, but Yami… Well, he's shorter than Jou, but much taller than Yugi. Then there were his eyes. Yugi's lovely eyes had been replaced by those the color of blood. When my own eyes met them, the feeling of losing myself within him raced through my body. The only other time I had felt something like that…was when I met Yugi.

After Yami Bakura had been dealt with, the others decided to reveal what they had kept hidden from me…except for Honda, who was busy comforting a distraught Bakura. Between the rest of the group, the entire story was laid before me. Everything from Pegasus and the Duelist Kingdom, to Yami and the millennium puzzle. They left nothing out and didn't sugarcoat the truth. When they finished recounting their adventures, all eyes were on me. At that moment, I knew I had to make the most important decision of my life.

I could leave and never say anything about this ever again. I could forget everything they had told me and avoid their reality - and _them_ - altogether. Or…

Or I could stay. I could process what they had told me and deal with it. My friendships would remain intact, and I'd get the opportunity to understand a whole new side of Yugi.

Needless to say, I chose the latter. It took time, as all things must, for life to settle down; for me to adjust. In that time, I truly came to know Yugi and Yami…and to fall for them both. It was difficult to be torn between two men…who were actually one. It seemed like betrayal to love Yugi while I loved Yami, and vice versa.

Finally, they took it upon themselves to go after me. Apparently, I didn't realize that they were so much a part of one another…that Yami loved Yugi, as Yugi loved Yami. They were certain in their love for one another…and in their love for me.

So here I am, in a life so different from what it once was… In love with two men who share a body… Friends with some amazing people… And still so very Willow. I can't wait to see where fate takes us all, and what card is to be drawn next.

If only Sunnydale could see me now. 

  


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**[The End]**


End file.
